The Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday issued a boil-water order for all water customers in the village of Brocton and town of Portland that reside west of Lake Erie State Park.

All water used for drinking and cooking should be boiled first or bottled water should be used.

Health officials anticipate the boil water order will remain in place until at least Saturday.

Water for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth and making coffee must be brought to a rolling boil for one minute then cooled prior to use. “Do not drink the water without boiling it first or use bottled water,” the health department said.

Water pressure in several areas of Brocton and Portland are low because of a water main leak that occurred Wednesday morning, and the health department anticipates that some customers will not have water service. Water District staff have located the source of the leak and were in the process of fixing the problem.

“All water customers must boil their water until further notice,” the county Health Department said in a news release. “When the distribution pipes and mains lose pressure it increases the chance that untreated water and harmful microbes could enter the system.

“Boiling the water kills bacteria and other microbes that could be present. After the leak has been fixed, Water District staff will flush the system and collect water samples to make sure the water is safe. You will be informed when tests confirm that no harmful bacteria are present in the system and you no longer need to boil your water.”

For more information, please contact the village of Brocton at 792-4160, the town of Portland at 792-9614 or the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services at 753-4481. You can also check the County’s website for updates at https://chqgov.com/